A Black Curse
by Bmcenroe132
Summary: A twist on Veela magic


Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

Draco stood beside the bar nursing a whiskey while he surveyed the room around him. He detested these types of functions, and yet he seemed to never miss one. He told himself of course, it was good to keep up appearances. He was trying to rebuild the Malfoy name after all, and Ministry functions such as these went a long way at making his own connections. This was what he told himself every time, and these reason were very true, however the real reason he came was because of her. He of course would never tell anyone this let alone her.

He searched the room until his eyes found her's. She was in deep conversation with the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. She laughed politely at something the man said, but he could tell the laugh didn't reach her eyes. She hadn't taken her eyes off of him, while she continued to talk to the man for a few more seconds before excusing herself. She made her way across the room towards the bar and where he stood. She was stopped by several people who wished to greet the Great War hero, but not once did she take her eyes from his. After what had felt like an eternity, she finally stopped in front of him. She smirked and then pulled the drink from his hand and took a long swig of the amber liquid.

"You are late," she said before taking another sip, and handing him an empty glass. He glared for a moment before motioning to the bartender for two more.

"Hello Granger," He said with a smirk. "It's good to see you too,"

"What kept you? You said you would be here an hour ago" She asked annoyed.

"Just dealing with a small annoyance at the office that couldn't wait till Monday." He said causally.

"And Stori?" It annoyed him how sweetly she said his girlfriends name, as if Stori was her best friend.

"I didn't invite her," he said Cooley as the bartender set their refreshed drinks on the bar in front of them.

Hermione of courses rolled her eyes at him, as if to say 'you are beyond impossible,' he only shrugged his shoulders as if he could careless about she thought. Which he really didn't care. "You know the girl is a human being, with feelings."

"Yes, be that as it maybe, the poor girl allows herself to fall victim to my fathers different ploys to try and force me to do as he wishes. He has the poor girl convinced she will one day be Mrs. Malfoy,"

"I take it then, that isn't what you have in mind for her," Hermione asked a little amused.

"Granger, you know me. I am the forever bachelor, I am just passing the time," Hermione wanted to punch him square in the nose again for that one. They maybe friends, but one thing she wouldn't stand for was his degrading of the woman he was currants dating. "Where's Tony anyways." He asked looking around. She narrowed her eyes at him, he was master of avoiding questions.

"If you mean Ethan, we broke up," she said with no emotion.

"And here I was thinking that things were going swimmingly with him" she did pinch him this time only not in the nose just on the arm. "You know for someone who gives me a load of crap about how many women I date you, yourself have had a lot of boyfriends since we left school."

"I haven't slept with half of them, where as you have slept with every girl you have taken on a date and then some,"

He smirked "Are you calling me a man whore Granger," he smirked. Oh how he loved to get under her skin. It was truly one of his favorite past times.

"If the shoe fits," she said before she stuck her tongue out at him.

"You wound me," he smirked before bringing his glass to his lips. "Really though, you seem to go through men like underwear,"

"It doesn't ever feel right, and why should a girl settle, when she knows her prefect match is out there." She said unabashed.

"Don't you think that's a little too much like a fairytale."

"Some of us aren't cynical Malfoy. I know he is out there, he just needs to pull his head from his ass." She smirked as he gave her an uncomfortable look.

He let the subject drop, not really liking where this conversation was heading. "You want to get out of this place. We could stop at that desert place you have been raving about."

She looked around at the all to familiar faces and sighed. No one would miss her "Sure why not,"

...

Hermione sat in her office reviewing files for her up coming cases, when the door swung open to reveal a very angry Draco Malfoy. Looking up she sighed before pointing to the chair in front of her desk. He didn't say anything as he closed the door behind him and took the chair she had offered.

"How long have we been friends," he asked annoyed.

"Too long," was her only reply as she continued to sift through the files.

"And in that time have I ever indicated that I was a fan of romantic weekends?"

"I suppose not," she still had not looked up from her work which only annoyed him further.

"And yet this bent of a girlfriend has decided that we should spend the weekend Paris," he scoffed as if the very idea was beyond repulsive.

"How dare she," Hermione said amused by the look of angry that was very present on his features Hermione could tell he wasn't amused.

"I am not going," he said stubbornly.

"And how are you going to get out of this one?"

"I am going on a busy trip," he said smugly.

"Here is a thought, why don't you just break up with her?"

"I do have an image to maintain Granger," he said as if this should be an obvious fact.

She scoffs at this, "You know one might say you should start looking to settle down. Have some kids. Lay down some roots,"

"Roots?" He looked at her questioningly

"It's a muggle saying. The point is, if Stori isn't the one maybe it's time to start looking for the one."

"Come now Granger, you know I don't believe in fairytales"

"Who says it's a fairytale."

"I am not some knight in shining armor granger,"

"You know you are much better man than you give yourself credit for Malfoy. The person you are today isn't the same boy who I went school with."

"Just because I don't believe in the pure blood mantra anymore doesn't mean I am not the same conniving git I have always been."

"Give yourself some more credit than that. You have changed and everyone else can see it. Why can't you?"

"Your need to find the good in everyone is going to be your downfall." He said before getting up and storming out of the office leaving the door wide open. She laughed to herself for before flicking her wand to make the door shut on its own.

...

Draco set alone in his private study, his thoughts were on Granger, as they always were when he couldn't find anything to distract himself. He still could not understand how, she of all people could find it in herself to forgive him for all the wrong he had done in his short life. And yet she had. He of course knew the true reason, but he could never tell anyone. To tell was to reveal a very dark Black family secret, that even his father knew nothing of.

When he had first learned of secret, he of course was furious, because somehow fate had found it funny that he should be destined for her. And then that night during the war happened, the night she had been brought the Malfoy Manor and was tortured by his deranged aunt. At that point he no longer believed he was better or superior to anyone. He had seen to many nameless faces have their blood spilt in front of him to believe he was any better. Because he wasn't, he was far worse than any of the words his father used to describe these people. He was coward.

That night though as he watched helplessly as his aunt craved that disgusting word into her arm he realized he had been wrong. Fate was being cruel, but not because she was destined for him. But because he was destined for her. Fate was cruel because there was no doubt in his mind that she deserved better than him. And yet all fate had given her was him. It was in that moment, that he had decided he would never tell her, of the curse set upon his family, for she deserved a life that was full of happiness that didn't include him in it.

Of course that was easier said than done. As time had worn on he found it harder and harder to stay way. His mother told him that was curse nudging him closer to her. He had scoffed at this, and ignored her. Fate though was no easy adversary, just as it was cruel. Upon the return to school after the war, they had been made head boy and girl and were expected to share a dorm for the schools year. Of course she was wear my heart on my sleeve Hermione Granger and was hell bent on seeing the good in him, and slowly but surely she had made herself a permanent spot for herself in his life. And when they left school nothing changed.

So here they were five years on from their graduation, and he was hopelessly in love with her. His mother who had long since left his father, and their old beliefs behind him, still nagged him about coming clean with Hermione. He was determined though, he would not let her choice be taken away from her because of curse that neither of them could control. Needless to say his mother hasn't spoken to him in several months. He didn't care though because she had become his best friend and if there was anyone who deserves true happiness in life it was Granger.

It annoyed him to no end that everything that use to grate his nerves about her, he now found rather enduring. He had called her a know it all on more than one occasion at school, but now he found her knowledge be alluring. Her thrust for knowledge drew him to her. Even her stupid friends had started to grown on him. Though he would never admit this to them. After all who in their right mind could possible imagine a time when he, Potter and Weasley could be in the same room without thought insults at one another. Yet they had managed this feat for awhile now. Damn Granger and all of her Grangerness.

...

They were out to dinner just the two of them as they often did. It had been six months since his mother's last attempt to get him to change his mind, and yet the daily pull to bear his soul to Hermione was ever present. And things had taken an ugly turn with Stori. And he wasn't sure how to tell Granger he had mucked things up so royally.

"So Harry was telling me the other day you got the upper hand on him at your last pick up game," she said after the waiter had poured them each a glass of wine from the bottle they had ordered.

"Yeah, it was awesome," he said without any real enthusiasm. She could tell something was bothering him. It wasn't like him to not gloat about breathing Harry at something.

"Ginny said they were having a big party for New Years. Are you planning on going?" She took a sip of her wine while she watched him for any tell tail signs indicating why he was in such a mood.

"New Years at the Potter's, yeah I think I'll pass," he took a sip of his wine, and told himself just to get it over with. Dragging this out wasn't helping anything and wasn't going to make this any easier for him.

"Come on it will be fun, you know Ron always gets sloshed at these kind of things and makes an ass of himself."

"Stori is pregnant, and it's mine" he blurted out. He could tell this surprised her.

"I am going to ask her to marry me, it's the right thing to do," he said in a rush, trying gage how she would react to this.

She just stared at him, as if he had two heads, before she started laughing. "She is not pregnant." was all she said before taking another swing of her wine.

"Excuse me, I can assure I have seen the muggle sonogram. Stori is pregnant," he said a little surprised at this.

She smiled that smile she reserves just for him. "Let me rephrase, Stori maybe pregnant but I can assure you that baby is not yours"

"How can you possibly know that," he asked dumbfounded. He knew she was smart, smartest person he knew for sure but this was way out of her Field of expertise.

"Let's pretend that I don't know about this Black family curse that you have deemed me unworthy of knowing." He went to cut her off but she held her hand up to stop him "Look the point is this, there is more to that curse other than the irony of a Pureblood elitist falling in love with someone who is not of the same status. The caster of the curse knew that most pure bloods do not marry for love, instead they married to continue on the pure blood line. With that in mind she made it impossible for a pureblood who is infected with a curse to have a child with anyone other than the mate that fate has decided for them."

"How in the hell do you know this," he asked in disbelief.

"So seeing as Stori certainly is not your mate as she is a Pureblood, she can't be pregnant with your child."

"You didn't answer my question,"

"Your mother," she said matter of factly. He was lost for words at this. And then slowly the anger started to take over.

"Since when did you become friends with my mother,

"Since she has become a regular fixture at your aunts,"

"And what else may I ask has my mother told you?" He asked through gritted teeth,

"If you are asking me if she told me who your mate is?"

"Yes," was all he could manage.

"In fact she did, imagine my surprise when I hear that I am destined to be with a man I have been falling in love with since I was 19,"

"She had no right to tell you that," he said trying to keep his anger in check.

"Excuse me, she had no right,"

"Yes that was my burden," he saw her eyes flash with anger, and he knew that he should start treading very carefully.

"Look I get it, I get that in that twisted head of yours you thought this was in some way taking something from me. That in telling me you wouldn't be giving me a choice. But you are daft do you know that?" His eyebrows raised at this. He was trying not to smile, because an angry Hermione was always a turn on for him. "You don't get how this whole thing works do you? Yes it is fate that we are destined for each other. What you can't seem to wrap you head around is how, we were created for each other. We are each other's equal in every way. I have dated man after man, and yet there is this void I can't fill. It's like I missing something, something that is important. Something that would make me feel complete. Make me feel the way I only feel when we are alone. So by you not saying anything, you still have given me no choice. Because if I had the choice I would want to be complete. I want to feel whole." And with that she stood and stormed from the restaurant not bothering to look back at him.

...

It had been three days since that dinner with Hermione and Draco hadn't talked to her. Which had been the longest he had gone without seeing or talking her to since they left Hogwarts. He was anger with everyone. He was mad at his mother for telling Hermione what he had promised himself a long time ago he would never tell her. He was mad at Hermione for ignoring all of his owls since that night. He was mad Stori for thinking she could trap him with a baby. He was mad at his father because he was sure that he had some sort of hand in all of this. But mostly he was anger with himself. Her words haunted him. She had felt a void she couldn't possible fill and she had no idea as to why. She of course probably thought it was her fault, because that was Granger. It wasn't her fault though, it was his. And what had she said 'with the man she had been falling in love with since she was 19'. That would have put them at Hogwarts still. Things between them then was mediocre at best. Yet she had started falling for him then.

There was a knock on his office door, which only angered him further. He had told his assistant very clearly that he did not want any visitors. "What" he shot our when the person knocked again. Slowly the door opened to reveal his mother.

"I know that I taught you better manners than that," she said as she walked in and closed the door behind her.

"I think I made it pretty clear that I have nothing to say to you right now mother," he nearly snarled at her before she took the seat in font of his desk.

"Yes, well I have a few things to say to you my son," she said as she picked at a piece of lent on her dress robes. "It is my understanding that things are less than desirable at the moment between you and Hermione"

"That is the understatement of the year. Which really it's all thanks to you,"

"I don't appreciate that tone young man. Besides none of this is my fault, and it's best you remember that,"

"You told her, you knew how I felt about the whole thing and you told her anyways." He said sounding dejected.

"You are right I did tell her. But I didn't tell her to hurt you son. I told her because I have seen her for the last five years floundering unable to piece the puzzle together. I have seen the way that girl look at you, it's like the sun rises and sets with you, and for her I am sure it does. I have seen how she was unable figure out just why it was she has had these feelings. Feelings she knew that you returned but would never tell her. I saw how after every break up she felt that there was something wrong with herself for never being able to make it work."

"It's the curse mother, these feelings they aren't real,"

"Is that how you feel, that these feelings. This love that you have for her isn't real,"

"I can't explain the way I feel for her," he said lamely.

"Would you change it, if you could? Would you change the way you feel about that girl?" She asked softly as if she already New the answer.

He thought for a long moment, would he change it if he could. She was annoying with her know it all attitude, what was more annoying was she was always right. Her friends, they were ban of his existences. Always competing for her attention. She wore her heart on her sleeve which annoyed him. He was taught to never let anyone know what he felt or thought. It annoyed him that she believed the best in him, but in that moment it hit him. "No I wouldn't change it,"

"So why do you think she would want to change the way she feels?"

"Because I am me. I am Draco Malfoy, death eater. The boy who tormented her in school, the boy who always made her feel as if she didn't belong. I am coward who only wanted to save himself."

"You aren't that boy anymore, and you haven't been for a very long time. It's her you have to thank for that. She saved you because to her you were worth saving"

"What I am to do about Stori,"

His mother laughed at this, "Tell her to take a hike, that child isn't yours."

"And Hermione?"

"Fix it," was all she said before she stood and made her way to the door. "I love you my son," and with that she was gone.

...

Later that day he found himself sitting outside of her apartment waiting for to come home. It wasn't far from the ministry and he knew she liked to walk in the fall before the weather turned to cold. So he waited and waited before finally she appeared at the top of the stairs rummaging through her bag looking for her keys. It wasn't until she was right at her door that she look up and saw him there sitting.

"I thought maybe you had gotten the hint," she said moving past him to open the door. He stood from his spot on the floor. She opened the door and he followed her in.

"I know that I you are angry with me," he said as the door closed behind him.

"I think angry is putting mildly" she said slamming her bag on the table.

"I am sorry," he said as she turned to look at him.

"You are sorry." She scoffed

"I love you, I love everything about you, even the things that annoy the hell out of me I love. And it wasn't until that night when you were brought to my house did I realize that. I had known for sometime, about the curse I also knew who you were to me. And I will admit, I thought fate was punishing me. Because how in the world could it be you. I had been a good son, I did what I was told. I believed what they told me to believe. And then that night, I watched what happen to you, and I realized how in the world could I be it for you." He closed the space between them so he was right in front of her, he brought his hand to her cheek.

"How could the fates be so cruel to you, someone who is selfless, so brave. Someone who is so beautiful inside and out. Why would anyone want to punish you to a life with me,"

"You aren't that person anymore, how many times do I have to tell you that for you to believe me?" He wiped away the silent tears that had escaped her beautiful brown eyes that remind him of warm milk chocolate.

"My mother said you saved me, she is right. You saved me from becoming what my father wanted me to be. And for that I could never thank you enough. But I don't want to take anything from you, least of all your free will,"

"I have known for a long time Draco. You know what your mother told me to do after she told me. She told me to continue to date, explore all my options. That it would help me understand, you were created just for me, and I you. She was right, I get it. I am only whole in moments just like this. When it is only me and you, when the rest of world doesn't exist.

"Marry me," He said softly before pressing his lips to hers. The moment his lips touched hers he could feel the warmth spreading through his body, it's was a feeling like nothing else in this world. He wasn't sure how he could have gone so long without knowing what just her kiss felt like. "It doesn't have to be tomorrow. It can me six months from now, or six years. It doesn't matter but promise me you'll marry me."

"Yes," was all she could manage to say before she crashed her lips his once more.

...

He set waiting for his father to arrive, he had invited him to dinner. He thought a Public place was best, less chance of his father making a scene. He couldn't help the smile the spread across his face as he imagined how his father would react.

For his father it was like the war had never happened, he still held onto his Pureblood convictions and Draco feared he always would. Draco had long since stopped worrying weather he disappointed his father because at the end of the day it didn't matter the only thing that did was Hermione. He saw his father walk in, speak momentarily to host before he was lead back to the table Draco currently set. He was seated and waited for the host to retreat before saying anything.

"So you wished to have dinner?" He said getting straight to the point.

"Yes, I did. I have some exciting news," Draco said with a smile.

"I see, and what might that be,"

"I am announcing in the papers that I am to be getting married," he said with a proud smile. His father for once smiled which only caused Draco to smile wider.

"Oh that is wonderful. I must get with Mr. Greengrass soon to hammer out the contract details."

"Oh there won't be any need for that,"

Luscious looked taken back by this "Son we have to make sure we are protected. She my be a suitable match but none the less we have a fortune to look after."

"I mean there is no need because I am not marrying Stori father." At this his father looked outraged.

" what do you mean you aren't marrying that girl. She is carrying the Malfoy heir, of course you are going to marry her."

"See that dear father is where you are wrong. I think it's time for you to be let in on a little Black family secret. You see many years ago Pollux Black was cursed by a Veela. You see Pollux had wronged this Veela when he killed her mate. You know how temperamental those creatures can be. And well when it comes to their mates all bets are off." Draco smiled it gave him great joy to watch the color drain from his fathers face.

"This Veela wanted to make sure that Pollux would know true disappointment. So she set in motion something that will forever be her mark on this world. You see once every generation a member of the Black family will be fated to fall in love with a Muggleborn. This Veela though she knew though how often Pureblood witches and wizards marry only for the continuance of the Pureblood line. So it wasn't enough for someone to fall in love with someone their family would deem unworthy. No she made sure that this person would only be able have children with whom the fates had decided their one true love to be. And thus hitting back at what all the sacred 28 hold most dear. Blood. It's rather brilliant, because we are all so intertwined that she set into motion the one thing that would be the true down fall of all the Purebloods. So you see father I don't have to marry Stori because I am the one this curse has affected." Luscious was lost for words.

"So tomorrow when you read the paper you will see that your future daughter in law will be Hermione Granger." And with that Draco stood to leave tossing a few gallons on the table before clapping his father on the back and making his way out to the busy London street where the sky was blue and things couldn't be any better.

...

thanks for reading


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